Archery bows typically have a riser portion with a pair of limbs extending from opposed sides or ends of the riser. Limbs of a bow are typically connected to the riser using multiple bolts, screws, or other elongated connection members that extend through the limbs and into the riser, and the point of connection does not generally provide for adequate surface area of contact. Further, stability and performance of the limbs are affected by such connections, thus affecting the flight and accuracy of the arrow.
The performance of an archery bow, measured in terms of accuracy, arrow velocity, and numerous other factors, can be affected by a number of characteristics of the bow, such as weight, bending flex, resiliency, vibration damping, and strength. Arrow velocity is heavily dependent upon the resiliency of a bow, which is a measure of the ability of the bow to recover from a flexed state when the arrow is drawn back. With regard to weight, a lighter bow limb can return faster, resulting in a faster shot. It is therefore important to provide limbs that are both strong and lightweight so that the limbs are able to recover quickly to their original position after they are drawn back and thereafter released.
For recurve archery bows, the further the archer draws the bow string back, the more the resilient limbs of the bow are flexed which imparts a greater amount of stored energy in the bow. When the bowstring is released to shoot the arrow, the resilient limbs of the bow snap back to their original position to force the bowstring back to its initial position to propel the arrow towards a target. Some of the energy is absorbed or transferred into the bow with the excess resulting in a noise. Some of the energy that goes back into the bow returns the bow to its original undrawn state, but much of the energy goes into excessive movement of various bow components resulting in a bow hand shock and system vibrations. Thus, there is a need to reduce the vibration of bow components so that more of the stored energy is transferred into the launching of the arrow.
The accuracy of a bow is another important characteristic. Accuracy is determined by numerous factors. The limbs of the bow must deflect and return on a consistent basis, and the central portion of the bow, the riser, must be sufficiently rigid to not deflect or twist during aiming or shooting. Thus, it is necessary to provide a mounting connection point between the riser and bow limbs that both acts to keep limbs securely in place and also increases surface area of contact.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved archery bow designs.